Age- and Sex-Specific Bioaccumulation of Selected Metals in Freshwater Mussel (Unio elangatulus eucirrus Bourguignat, 1860) Populating from Keban Dam Lake (Elazig, Turkey)

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 108; no. 2; pp. 366 - 371
• Main Authors: Danabaş, Durali, Kutluyer, Filiz, Ural, Mesut, Özçelik, Mehtap, Kocabaş, Mehmet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Animals; Aquatic organisms; Aquatic Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Bivalvia; Cadmium; Calcium; Chronology; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Females; Heavy metals; Humans; Iron; Lakes; Lead; Magnesium; Males; Manganese; Metal concentrations; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Mollusks; Mussels; Pollution; Sex; Soil Science & Conservation; Statistics; Toxicity; Trace elements; Trace metals; Turkey; Unio; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Zinc; Turkey; Bioaccumulation; Freshwater mussel; Metals; Unio elangatulus eucirrus
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-021-03414-1

In aquatic life, environmental chemicals are accumulated by mussels due to their sentinel nature and filter-feeding characteristics. Herein, the present study focused on assessing the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Ca, K, and Na levels in freshwater mussels ( Unio elangatulus eucirrus ) depending on sex and age. For all trace metals, some important differences of bioaccumulations were determined depending on ages and sex. In details, the results indicated that an important age-related accumulation of Mg, Cd, Ca, and K was in females and all trace elements, except Cu, Mg, and K levels in males ( p  < 0.05). No statistical differences were determined in mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mg, and Na. There are statistical differences in Mg, Mn, Fe, and Ca levels between females and males in four aged mussels ( p  < 0.05). Lead levels were under detectable limits. Overall, metal levels and their toxicity in freshwater mussels should be closely monitored for health of the environment, animals, and humans, since mussels and fish species fed on them are consumed highly in the research region and around.